Pssst...here's THE DIRT on outdoor staging

Over the past few years we have helped dozens of realtors stage exteriors with freshly planted outdoor pots. Why? Three words: INSTANT CURB APPEAL.

Realtors know the importance of first impressions and can rely on Adorn to take the burden of creating curb appeal off the homeowners. Container gardening is an easy, inexpensive way to create an attractive, welcoming first impression for a home.

First, we schedule an on-site consultation to look at the home.

Second, if the homeowner already has outdoor pots that look great we use those. We've even recommended hitting black pots with a little black spray paint if they are a tad faded but otherwise in good condition. Why spend money if you don't need to right? If the homeowner doesn't have existing pots or needs new ones, we consult on the perfect placement, number of pots, size and shape for their home. We can buy new ones for the homeowner or make recommendations on where to buy them. The great thing about investing in new pots is that the homeowner can take them to their next home.

Third, we pot them up with gorgeous, seasonal plants and flowers. Bam! Instant curb appeal! Now the exterior of the home is ready for pictures and all set to be put on the market. Custom container gardens demonstrate the perfect attention to detail that will wow prospective buyers plus offer beauty and a pop of color. And we all know the old saying, you don't get a second chance to make a first impression.

Are you in the market for new outdoor pots?

Now is the perfect time to shop while the selection is the best and the stores aren't busy with the spring gardening season. Four things to consider when selecting a container are style, size, material and color.

STYLE - As far as style goes, containers come in so many colors and shapes it can get overwhelming to choose one. You can really be as creative as you want, but above all else, make sure there is a drainage hole or drill one yourself. Think about the style of your house when selecting your containers so they coexist nicely. The picture above shows 4 container styles - contemporary, classic, formal and mediterranean. Contemporary containers have straight, clean lines or are sometimes cylindrical. Formal containers are often shaped like urns. Classic containers are equally deep and wide but are broader at the top than at the base. Mediterranean containers have a more casual look and are often blue glazed ceramic or terra-cotta.

SIZE - Your containers should be in proportion to the size of your house, especially if they are in the front. You can also try groupings of pots to increase the scale. Try to go larger rather than smaller if you can. Larger containers require less watering and there is more room for the roots to grow so your plants are happier.

MATERIAL - Boy, lots of choices here: cast iron, glazed ceramic, terra-cotta, resin and cast cement to name a few. Water evaporates more quickly from porous materials like terra-cotta than other materials like resin. We are big fans of resin because they are inexpensive, lightweight and are made to look just like stone, cast concrete or cast iron.

COLOR - We like our outdoor planters to pop when seen from the street so we recommend using a pot in a contrasting color to the background. We love black pots against a red brick home or a light colored home. Does the exterior of your home have black accents (outdoor light fixtures, shutters, door or window casings)? If so, it would be ideal to use black planters to coordinate the color theme. We also love glazed ceramic cobalt blue pots. They certainly make a colorful statement and can bring life to a bland exterior.

Seasonal decor in pots

We don't know about you, but in the middle of winter we really miss COLOR in our outdoor planters. Why not add some cute, colorful Valentines decor to brighten things up? We added some red hearts to our window box and it's pretty festive. By the time Easter rolls around, it will be warm enough for flowers to survive in our outdoor pots, but you can always add some Easter decor too. Our favorite seasons to add decor are fall and Christmas. We love adding pumpkins to our pots in the fall, sadly sometimes the squirrels love it also. Fun decor options for holiday pots are pinecones, berries, red twig dogwood sticks and ornaments. Be creative and have fun with it!

Let Adorn Help You

Do you love a pretty front porch or store front but don't have the time to do it yourself? Let Adorn add seasonal flowers and plants to your outdoor pots this spring. Adorn offers seasonal or one-time custom container garden installation. We will start planting for the spring in mid-April and would love to help you create an amazing first impression with your outdoor space.

Curb Appeal Shout Out!

We've been helping April Campbell, Owner of Central Park Dog Daycare, with her outdoor pots for over three years. We are delighted that April contacted us for help and are so thankful to be able to fulfill a need in the community. We love helping with the curb appeal for Central Park Dog Daycare (plus we get to play with the cute dogs as they go in and out of daycare - big bonus!). We really appreciate April's comments below.

"For a few years we tried to keep our pots planted and fresh. We quickly found that we couldn't keep them rotated for each season and we often chose the wrong types of plants and flowers which of course resulted in dead/ugly plants! We finally just gave up and left the pots empty year round. I saw a Facebook post about Adorn and I knew this was exactly what our front entrance needed! Elizabeth has been so kind and helpful! She has kept our pots looking AMAZING year round. We constantly get compliments from our clients about how great our flowers look."

We highly recommend Central Park Dog Daycare for your pups! April and her team take great care of the dogs who spend the day there (and their people). They have really cute dog leashes and collars too. They are located at 5720 N. Classen Boulevard in OKC. Do your dogs a favor and check it out!